Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
The V-22 Osprey will enter another phase of its flight test program on
Jan. 14 when one of the MV-22 engineering and manufacturing, development
(EMD) aircraft flies aboard the USS Saipan, to begin its sea trials scheduled
to last until mid-February.
The tiltrotor aircraft
will join up with the LHA class ship off the coast of Norfolk where the
aircraft will undergo about 30 days of testing to meet two primary objectives.
The first objective is to do dynamic interface testing which involves validating
and expanding the general launch and recovery envelope relative to "winds
over deck" for the ship's helicopter spots where the V-22 could land. There
are 10 helicopter spots, each having launch and recovery parameters in
terms of speed and relative direction of wind.
"The envelope expansion
testing is critical because it will evaluate the aircraft's handling qualities
as well as reveal any problems that need correcting to ensure that the
average fleet pilot can safely hover, take off, and land from any of these
spots within the designated launch and recovery envelope," said Lt. Col.
John Rudzis, V-22 government flight test director.
The sea trials test
plan requires the V-22 to do practice landings on five of the ship's 10
helicopter spots to see how it handles in a variety of conditions, such
as strong winds or rough seas. In addition, the pilots will practice a
simulated OEI (one engine inoperative) which is a no hover vertical landing
to the aft end of the ship, vertical take-offs from a helo spot, and shipboard
short take-offs.
Rudzis said the dynamic
interface testing is in support of and in preparation for the V-22's next
sea period during Operational Evaluation scheduled to begin in October
1999.
In addition to the dynamic
interface testing, the V-22 will do external loads tests in which it will
pick up a 4,000 lb. netted load from a single hook on the aircraft, and
some night flying, both for the first time in a shipboard environment.
"I think the aircraft
is going to do very well in all aspects and I am looking forward to going
out to the ship and push the flying as much as we can," said Rudzis.
The second objective is aircraft/shipboard
compatibility testing which will show that the V-22 fits on the LHA's hangar
deck, elevators, the launch and recovery spots, and can be parked, positioned,
stowed, and maintained aboard ship. An important part of this testing will
validate that in the wing-fold blade stow position the V-22 fits on the
elevator and can be lowered into the hangar deck.
The V-22 will
also do what is known as spotting. According to Rudzis this maneuver is
a very important part of shipboard compatibility testing because when the
ship is loaded with a full complement of aircraft, the V-22 must be able
to land, quickly stow rotors and the wings, and be moved to its parking
spot. Although a full complement of squadron aircraft will not be present
during the sea trials, SH-3 and CH-46 helicopters from squadrons HC-8,
HC-6 and HC-2 with provide search and rescue, and logistics support.
Another important
aspect of shipboard capability is how well maintenance functions can be
performed. The maintenance will be performed by Marine maintainers
from the V-22's Multi Service Operational Test Team (MOTT) and some maintenance
contractors from the Bell-Boeing team. In the process of conducting these
tests, the job of the MOTT maintainers will be to maintain the V-22 as
well as to record, validate and assess all Marine maintenance work.
This means that all procedures, manuals, tools, and support equipment will
be assessed for how well they allow maintainers to accomplish standard
maintenance.
"We will also be assessing
how well maintainers and the aircraft interact with the ship and support
equipment they will be using, the effects of salt water on the V-22 and
how corrosion may factor into this," said Staff Sgt. Tony Huntington, a
CH-53 crewchief and now a V-22 MOTT crewchief and maintainer. He added
that they also will assess the availability of support equipment, storage
facilities for special equipment and how this unique equipment is transported
to and from the ship.
While maintainers do
not expect that there will be any out of the ordinary maintenance work
to do during sea trials, Staff Sgt. Joseph Cottle, an experienced CH-46E
maintainer and now a V-22 airframes mechanic,
said they will have an intense schedule doing visual pre-flight and post
flight inspections, troubleshooting any concerns the pilots or crewchiefs
may have after a flight, and validating everything on the aircraft during
the 35-hour inspection including how long it takes to complete maintenance
jobs on the ship. This inspection occurs each time the aircraft completes
35 hours of flight time.
On the hangar deck,
MOTT maintainers will do simulated and actual maintenance on the aircraft
to assess how difficult it is to work in confined spaces on a platform
that is constantly moving with equipment that has to be chained down to
secure it. On the flight deck, they will do daily inspections, wash
the engines with the aircraft parked in its designated "slash" and be expected
to secure the aircraft within five minutes after it lands. According
to Huntington, "the ship's air boss expects the V-22 to be precisely positioned
so that other operations can safely continue. Since space is a valuable
commodity, even a slight departure from the designated slash is unacceptable."
"This is a very challenging
test period and there are always inherent risks associated in a shipboard
environment," said Huntington. "The things that are easy to handle on land
such as engine washing and refueling will be increasingly difficult on
a ship."
As MOTT maintainers,
it is their job is to assess these things as well as all maintenance procedures,
and to identify any maintenance problems and deficiencies now so changes
can be made before the aircraft gets to the fleet. Cottle and Huntington
both agree that what will make the V-22 an operational success is an aircraft
that is durable, robust and easy to maintain.
"Since we are the final
line before the aircraft gets to the fleet, we want to ensure that they
get an aircraft that is the best it can be," said Cottle.